


Allergies aren't Small Matters

by RealityXIllusion



Category: Shazam! (2019)
Genre: Allergies, Billy Has Issues, Billy deserves a hug, Billy is allergic to blueberries, Child Neglect, Childhood Trauma, Complete, Distrust, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Past Child Abuse, food allergies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-27 01:15:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18728704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RealityXIllusion/pseuds/RealityXIllusion
Summary: Billy assumed this day would start out just as any other has before, what he didn't expect was for Rosa to make blueberry pancakes for breakfast.Or Billy has a food allergy no one is aware of and just barely manages to avoid having an allergic reaction.





	Allergies aren't Small Matters

Opening the bedroom door, the smells wafting up the stairs had his mouth watering. Billy all but ran down the stairs, he knew from past experience that Pedro and Victor had a habit off hogging the bacon if no one grabbed it first.

Billy didn't notice anything was off until he was already seated at the table with the others already reaching from one dish to another to fill up their plates. His fingers were mere centimeters away from touching the pancakes when he noticed that they weren't chocolate chip instead, with the bluish tint he realized that it was blueberry pancakes.

He quickly yanked his hand back from the plate, glancing around at the others to see if they noticed anything.

Once he realized that no one was looking his way Billy settled for grabbing a few sausages and pieces of bacon for his plate.

He didn't see anything wrong with eating just that but apparently, Rosa disagreed with him.

“Billy?” Rosa glanced over at him, “Why aren’t you eating any pancakes? You should have more than just a few pieces of meat for breakfast.”

“Sorry,” Billy shifted in his seat, well aware of how everyone's eyes had all turned towards him, “I’m just not that hungry.”

“Are you getting sick?” Rosa stood up, leaning towards Billy’s seat as she lifted her hand towards his forehead.

Any previous noise in the room vanished as Billy quickly jerked back out of Rosa’s reach, his elbow smacking loudly into Eugene’s chair. Billy brought his arm in towards him as he rubbed a hand over where it hit the wooden chair.

Victor tapped the table with his fork, once Billy turned his attention to him he asked, “Everything okay?”

Clearing his throat, Billy turned away from Rosa’s concerned eyes and Victor’s worried eyes as he muttered, “It’s because I’m, uh, I’m allergic to… to blueberries.”

“What?” Rosa said breathlessly, her eyes widening as she quickly reached across the table to pull the plate of blueberries pancakes away from Billy’s seat.

“But it’s fine!” Billy blurted out, “I didn’t touch anything with them in it, and you guys, none of you touched me after eating it…Er, you almost did, but I moved away,” Billy trailed off, shrugging, “So it’s… It’s fine.”

Billy barely hides his wince as one by one everyone snatched their plates, filled with blueberry pancakes, and pushed them to the furthest side of the table from where Billy sat. Eugene had to stand on his chair and pass his to Freddy who in turn handed it to Mary who gave it to Rosa to set down.

“Are you alright?” Freddy asked, bringing his good leg up to kick at Billy’s shin.

“Yeah, I-” Billy cleared his throat, “I’m okay.”

“Are you sure?” Mary frowned, “You’re clearing your throat a lot.”

Yes, he was sure. Billy knew what it felt like, to have an allergic reaction. The way it slowly creeps up on you, or how sometimes it seems to come out of nowhere. He knew what it felt like, he wasn't having a reaction. 

There was no itching, no swelling that he could tell, no hives or tingling in his lips.

He just felt…. odd with how everyone kept staring at him.

Eyes darting towards the clock above the gas-range, Billy got to his feet and turned partially towards the living room, "Shouldn't we get going anyway? If we don't leave soon we're going to be late to school."

Not waiting for a response from any of them, Billy quickly left the room. Moving fast as he snatched his book bag off of the couch and moved towards the front door.

It wasn't until he was outside standing by the van that his cheeks heated up in embarrassment. He had definitely overreacted leaving the room like that but he couldn't help himself. It's only been a little over a month since he first came here and yet he still wasn't used to having all of their attention on him. Not to mention it was odd discussing his allergy with other people.

He could remember when he first learned about his allergy. He had been staying with this couple, apparently, they've been trying to have kids for years only to find out that neither of them was capable of doing so. When Billy first arrived at their house they have been ecstatic to have him there. However, after the first-day things began to change.

The husband would constantly be sleeping out on the couch after hours of arguments with his wife. Billy could hear them from the guest room they had him staying in. One of the main topics of their arguments had been him. They weren't expecting their first foster child to be a 10-year-old boy. They thought that they would get a baby and after maybe a month or two they would be able to adopt the child. After that first day, both of them ignored Billy's presence. 

Normally he would have run off by now, but it was in the middle of winter and he didn't have any clothing to protect him from the weather. Which was why he gritted his teeth and decided to deal with it for however long he would have to stay there with them. He was just as shocked as they were when three days later, his fourth day staying with them, Billy had been eating one of the blueberry muffins left on the counter when a couple of minutes later his throat was swelling up and his skin breaking out in hives.

Everything about the experience had been terrifying. The one thing that Billy could never forget though, the one thing that had truly scared him to the point where he still had nightmares about it sometimes was how neither the wife nor the husband called for an ambulance. Instead, the husband snorted at him and left the room while the wife threw a wet dishcloth at him. They left him there while he was in pain and truly believed that he was about to die.

It was only after he started choking and dry heaving that the wife came back over to him with some kind of needle. She jabbed it into his bicep with enough force that Billy had been left with a bruise there. She then turned him on his side and left him there on the kitchen floor. 

After passing out and waking up hours later when the sky had turned dark, Billy quickly packed his thing and ran from the house. The next time he saw his social worker he made sure to hit towards that couple not being capable of fostering any children without actually telling her what happened.

It hadn't been until he was twelve that Billy learned what happened to him was the result of an allergic reaction, and that the needle she stabbed him with must have been an EpiPen.

"Billy?"

A hand came in contact with his shoulder and Billy quickly pulled himself away from the sudden grasp. Head snapping to the side, Billy's gaze met Freddy's wide eyes.

Freddy held a hand up in front of him, "I scrubbed my hands! Promise! Dude, I even brushed my teeth again."

"Right," shaking out his hands from the fists he formed without even realizing it, Billy moved to the side and pulled open the van's back door. Climbing into what looked to be the last open seat next to Pedro, Billy ignored Freddy's confused frown and shut the door.

He looked away as Freddy climbed into the front seat.

He didn't even notice everyone come out of the house or climb into the car. Huffing out a breath that fogged up the window he leaned against, Billy closed his eyes. Silently hoping that none of the others would try talking to him. He knew it was unlikely that Pedro would try talking to him but then again Pedro has a habit of surprising him and just because the others weren't sitting right next to him that didn't mean they wouldn't try speaking to him either way.

His body seemed to move on its own throughout the rest of the school day. After Victor drop them all off and they went their separate ways, Billy avoided Darla's hug and didn't say a word as the others all said goodbye to him. Anytime Freddy started talking to him Billy would nod his head at the appropriate moment but otherwise stayed silent and kept to himself.

Lunchtime practically turned out to be a disaster. Billy was in the lunch line grabbing his food with Freddy behind him when out of nowhere Freddy grabs a hold of his wrist and jerked his arm back. The action causing him to drop his entire lunch tray to the floor. It made that is worse when Billy Bush's side Freddy's apologies and realize that Freddy had stopped him from grabbing a blueberry muffin.

Of all things, it had to be a blueberry muffin.

When the lunch ladies and Freddy all tried to get him to take a second launch Billy shook his head and just told them that he wasn't hungry anymore. After that all throughout the day Freddy would stare at him. Anytime he walked past one the others in the hallway they would watch him as well. By the time the end the day came around Billy was more than ready to head home.

For the car ride home Billy rushed to get the lone seat in the trunk. Mary and Eugene sat in the next row with Darla and Pedro in front of them, Victor sat in the driver's seat while Freddy was in the passenger seat once again. He kept his head trying to look out the window throughout the entire ride, with his beanie pulled down low enough to cover his ears.

The moment Victor parked the van in the driveway everyone rushed to get out and into the house. Billy was the only one who took his time getting out of the car and walking up the driveway.

Entering the house instead of seeing Eugene sitting on the couch getting ready to play his games or Darla sitting at the table with Mary to get started on their homework. Billy saw everyone standing in the doorway to the kitchen. 

"Billy!" Freddy grinned, "Get over here already!"

Movements stiff, Billy hesitantly walked over to the kitchen after tossing his bag on the couch.

From what he could tell everyone was just standing there facing Rosa as she stood in front of the refrigerator. Her hands on her hips, Rosa grinned widely before stepping to the side and gesturing towards something hanging on the fridge.

She made a list. Right there on the fridge was a large piece of paper with each of their names written on it. And in the spaces between their names were a few food items, his name being last on the list with a large space after it.

"This way," Rosa smiled softly, holding out her hand with a black marker towards Billy, "We can all make sure that we don't accidentally set off an allergic reaction with anyone. And we can make something that we can all eat and enjoy together."

Blushing, Billy walked past the others, taking the offered marker from Rosa and wrote down what allergies he knew he had next to his name; Blueberries, Shellfish and Coconut.

"Ugh," Freddy shuddered, "I wish I was allergic to coconut. It tastes disgusting."

Mary snorted, "It does not, your taste buds are just messed up."

"Actually I agree with Freddy." Victor held his hand up.

Standing there, listening to them all argue with one another about how coconut tastes to somehow getting to the topic of discussing how useful it is in your hair, Billy smiled.

Rosa's warm eyes met his own as she shook her head at the others foolishness before coming over towards him and speaking softly, "What do you say to help me out making dinner tonight? I'm thinking of homemade pizza?"

Billy's smiled widened as he nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that."

**Author's Note:**

> I know I could've made this a lot sadder but I figured that I'll leave it as is. After all, there's always room to leave the angst to a readers imagination. [Plus I could always just make a part two] This just popped into my head when I was working on Searching to Find A Way so I had to write it down.


End file.
